Liquid chromatography versus supercritical fluid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry: a comparative study of performance for multiresidue analysis of pesticides

Abstract

Abundant studies have been published evaluating different parameters of reverse-phase liquid chromatography (LC) and supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), both coupled to electrospray (ESI)/mass spectrometry (MS) for pesticide residue analysis. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive comparative study that facilitates deep knowledge about the benefits of using each technique. In the present study, the same mass spectrometer was used coupled to both liquid and supercritical fluid chromatographies with a multiresidue method of 215 compounds, for the analysis of pesticide residues in food samples. Through the injection of the spiked extracts, separate experiments were conducted. A study of the optimum ion source temperature using the different chromatography modes was performed. The results were evaluated in terms of sensitivity with tomato, leek, onion, and orange as representative fruit and vegetable matrices. The compounds which reported the highest area values in each chromatography were evaluated through their substance groups and polarity values. The impact of matrix effects obtained in tomato matrix was similar for both cases; however, SFC clearly showed better results in analyzing matrices with a higher number of natural co-extracted compounds. This can be explained by the combination of two effects: (i) chromatography separation and (ii) ion source efficiency. The chromatographic elution presented different profiles of matrix components, which had diverse impact on the coelution with the analytes, being more beneficial when SFC was used in the matrices studied. The data showed that the best results obtained in SFC are also related to a higher ionization efficiency even when the ESI emitter tip was not optimized for SFC flow. In the present study a comprehensive evaluation of the benefits and drawbacks of these chromatography modes for routine pesticide residue analysis related to target compounds/commodities is provided. Graphical abstract

Application of peptide biomarkers in life analysis based on liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry technology

“…EFLC combines traditional solvent and mobile phase analysis modes for liquid CO 2 under subcritical conditions, greatly reducing analysis time 65,66 . SFC uses supercritical fluid as the mobile phase, and relies on the solvation capacity of the mobile phase for separation and analysis 67–69 . which can achieve separation under the conditions of high‐flow rate and low‐pressure drop 70,71 (Figure 2).…”

“…65,66 SFC uses supercritical fluid as the mobile phase, and relies on the solvation capacity of the mobile phase for separation and analysis. [67][68][69] which can achieve separation under the conditions of high-flow rate and low-pressure drop 70,71 (Figure 2).…”

Paper-based colorimetric sensor using Photoshop and a smartphone app for the quantitative detection of carbofuran

“…The current detection methods based on liquid and gas chromatographies are not suitable as rapid screening methods because they are time consuming, provide only discontinuous analyses, and are unsuitable for analyzing large numbers of samples. 5 Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods for the analysis of pesticide residues have developed rapidly in recent years since the application of immunochemistry to environmental analysis. [6][7][8][9][10] Commercial ELISA kits using polyclonal antibodies as specic immunoreagents have been applied to determine carbofuran in water, soil, meat, and liver.…”

Colloidal silver-based lateral flow immunoassay for detection of profenofos pesticide residue in vegetables

“…These detection methods can measure various components simultaneously with high accuracy, but require expensive instruments, long and complicated preprocessing procedures, and professional operators. 18 Therefore, establishing a reliable, sensitive, rapid, and simple analytic procedure for the detection of profenofos residue is essential in controlling pesticide residues and preserving the ecological environment and health.…”